Science: Full Practice Paper 14
Full Practice Paper 14 is a further complete practice paper in the 13+ Common Entrance Science style, mixing Biology, Chemistry and Physics questions in one timed sitting for pupils close to sitting their real Common Entrance examination.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Skim-read the whole paper first if time allows, and briefly plan roughly how many minutes you can spend per mark, so a single long question near the end does not eat into time needed elsewhere.
- For space questions, remember that gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and moons in orbit around planets, and that a larger mass produces a stronger gravitational pull.
- For rock questions, identify whether a rock is igneous (formed by cooling magma or lava), sedimentary (formed by layers of sediment being compressed) or metamorphic (formed by heat and pressure changing an existing rock) before describing how it formed.
- For adaptation questions, link each named feature of an organism directly to how it helps that organism survive or reproduce in its specific habitat, rather than only describing the feature.
- Where a food chain is given, remember that each arrow points from the organism that is eaten to the organism that eats it, showing the direction energy flows.
- For any calculation involving percentages, find the actual amount first before working out the percentage, and check whether the question wants a percentage or a value.
- In the last few minutes, check that any diagram-based answer, for example labelling a rock cycle diagram or a food web, has used the exact terms given in the question.
Worked example
The Moon orbits the Earth roughly once every 27 days. (a) Name the force that keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth. (b) State what would happen to the Moon's orbit if this force suddenly disappeared. (c) Explain why an object dropped on the Moon falls more slowly than an identical object dropped on Earth.
- For part (a), identify the force that pulls two masses towards each other: gravity (the gravitational force) between the Earth and the Moon.
- For part (b), think about what keeps the Moon curving around the Earth rather than travelling in a straight line: without this centre-seeking gravitational force, the Moon would no longer be pulled towards the Earth.
- Apply Newton's first law: with no resultant force acting on it, the Moon would instead travel off in a straight line at a constant speed, rather than continuing to orbit the Earth.
- For part (c), recall that the Moon has a much smaller mass than the Earth, so its gravitational field strength at its surface is weaker.
- Final answer: (a) gravity; (b) the Moon would no longer orbit the Earth and would instead travel off in a straight line at constant speed; (c) the Moon's smaller mass gives it a weaker gravitational field strength than Earth's, so a falling object is pulled towards its surface with less force and falls more slowly.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Name the force that causes objects to fall towards the ground when dropped.Show answer
Answer: Gravity.
Q2State the name of the rock type formed when magma cools and solidifies underground.Show answer
Answer: Igneous rock.
Q3Explain one way in which a polar bear's thick white fur helps it survive in the Arctic.Show answer
Answer: It provides insulation that reduces heat loss, keeping the bear warm, and its white colour camouflages it against the snow, helping it hunt prey without being seen.
Q4State how many natural moons orbit the Earth.Show answer
Answer: One.
Q5Name the type of rock formed when layers of sediment, such as sand or mud, are compressed together over a long period of time.Show answer
Answer: Sedimentary rock.
Q6In the food chain grass, rabbit, fox, where grass is eaten by rabbits and rabbits are eaten by foxes, name the organism that is the producer.Show answer
Answer: Grass.
Q7State which planet in the Solar System is closest to the Sun.Show answer
Answer: Mercury.
Q8Name the continuous process by which rocks are broken down, transported, deposited, and can eventually reform into new rock types.Show answer
Answer: The rock cycle.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
In the food chain grass, rabbit, fox, where grass is eaten by rabbits and rabbits are eaten by foxes, energy is transferred between each feeding (trophic) level, but only about 10% of the energy is transferred from one level to the next. If the grass in a field stores 500,000 kJ of energy, calculate (a) how much energy is available to the rabbits, and (b) how much energy is available to the foxes. (c) State one reason why not all of the energy from the grass is transferred to the rabbits.
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An astronaut has a mass of 80 kg. On Earth, gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg. On the Moon, gravitational field strength is about 1.6 N/kg. (a) Use weight = mass x gravitational field strength to calculate the astronaut's weight on Earth. (b) Calculate the astronaut's weight on the Moon. (c) State what happens to the astronaut's mass when travelling from Earth to the Moon.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the science: full practice paper 14 worksheet pack - 20 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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